1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic flat-article separating apparatus for use in an automatic mail-handling system and the like.
2. Prior Art
An automatic feeding apparatus for flat articles such as cards, envelopes and postcards, is designed, as shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,952,457 to feed the flat articles one by one. In such an apparatus, a plurality of flat articles are often transported as they are overlapped with each other. Such overlap-feeding causes errors in the automatic mail handling system. To guarantee an accurate mail handling, the overlapped flat articles must be separated from each other.
For this purpose, various kinds of flat-article separating apparatuses have been proposed. One of those conventional apparatuses comprises a feed route for feeding the flat articles along an article transport path, an ejecting route installed in the downstream end of the transport path and a suction belt means disposed on the way of the transport path for transporting the flat articles fed from the feed route to a regular route. With such apparatus, the flat articles fed from the feed route are individually sucked and directed into the regular route by the suction belt means and, in the event that any two overlapping flat articles are fed in, they are separated from each other as the upper pieces is sucked and directed into the regular route by the suction belt means while the lower piece proceeds free of any suction thereof straight into the ejecting route.
Such conventional apparatus, however, has involved a disadvantage that any flat articles which are more or less thick and hence hardly flexible tend to proceed straight into the ejecting route even if they satisfy the requirements for their delivery into the regular route because of the limited attractive force exerted by the suction belt means on the flat articles.